Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father John Reardon:

Father John Reardon was one of 21 priests removed by Cardinal Justin Rigali in March 2011 after he publicly stated (quite incorrectly) that no priests assigned in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia had been accused of sexual abuse.

In 2012, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s internal review board determined that an allegation of abuse previously made was credible. No information about the allegation was provided to the public, except to say that it was sexual misconduct with a minor child.

Reardon’s name appears on a February 1994 memo from William Lynn, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Secretary for the Clergy, to James Molloy, the Vicar for Administration for the Archdiocese. The purpose of the memo was to catalog the sexual abuse allegations kept in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Secret Archives, which are files traditionally accessible only by the archbishop and, sometimes, one of his designees. Under Canon Law, the Archdiocese is required to maintain any potentially scandalous information in the Secret Archives. Of the summaries Lynn wrote, “only basic information is contained in this report so as not to have too much in writing on this matter.”

Reardon’s name appears in the section labeled “Allegations of Sexual Misconduct with Minors with No Conclusive Evidence.” No additional information about the allegations contained in the secret files is publicly available.

It is unclear if the review board investigated the allegation(s) referenced in the 1994 memorandum or if it was a different allegation.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia says that it has revoked Reardon’s faculties to minister. He is awaiting the outcome of the Vatican’s “canonical process,” according to the Archdiocese, but it is not clear if Reardon requested laicization or if the Archdiocese is seeking to have him laicized involuntarily.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Pennsylvania, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Philadelphia now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Contact us at (954) 641-2100 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com today.

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